If only we could have a system like this in real life! Thank you for a lovely little fic.

Author's Response:

Thanks for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the story, and yes, I wish it were possible to ensure that our leaders were people of good character. That's one of the reasons why I love science fiction, because it permits such interesting thought experiments. ;-)

I liked this story. Like you, I've always felt that Spock was a model of integrity. He is what he is, and he rarely lets events or emotions affect his convictions - except, of course, when it comes to Jim Kirk. My only disappointment is that I wish you had taken opportunities to develop it a bit more fully, not always something that is possible when you're ill, I understand. Hopefully, you have found ways of dealing with your chronic illness as I have mind. I certainly hope so anyway.

Author's Response:

I'm glad you liked the story; thanks for leaving a comment.

I adore Spock's character, and the way he will always do whatever he believes to be the right thing, no matter how much it costs him. Risk the death penalty to take Pike to Talos IV? No problem. Lose his father's life and his mother's love in order to have the most experienced officer in command when there'd been a murder aboard the ship and a mysterious ship chasing them? It was hard, but he did it. Countermand Kirk's order to kill the horta and instruct that it be captured? Sure thing. Spock is just so incredibly virtuous, and I absolutely adore that about him.

While I agree that the beauty of Spock's character could support a longer, more complicated story, this particular story is only supposed to be the vignette that it is. I chose my pen name for truth in advertising, so I usually write weird LITTLE stories. :-) But now that I've started down this path, another story about Spock's integrity will probably bubble up eventually; I wrote "Reining in McCoy" two years before I wrote the longer and more complex story on the same subject "Physician, Heal Thyself." So I'm sure I'll write the story you want eventually ... but it might be a couple of years. :-)

You've almost certainly read these, but just in case you somehow missed them, there are two stories about Spock's wonderful character that I especially recommend (both of them here on the K/S Archive): Carolyn Spencer's "Report from the Rim," and Lyrastar's "Gemini Setting." Both of them are really fabulous, among the best stories out there.

I'm sorry to hear that you also have a chronic illness to deal with. Struggling to accomplish anything while severely limited is draining, but I guess we're lucky to have found a way to still contribute something to the world, even if it's only fan fiction. :-)